Does This Darkness Have A Name?
by freakoutimaninja23
Summary: The world is in peril again, but on a much larger scale. Do the turtles have what it takes to save Earth from an invasion of demons, or will they too succumb to the fate that took their master and friends? Read on to find out...
1. Chapter 1: Death and Darkness

It was finally happening. Leo knew that one day it would, but he'd tried to not think about it; for his brothers' sakes as well as his own. But now, at the age of seventeen, that fate was inevitable. In fact, it was right in front of him. He was standing in a grey, barren wasteland, surrounded by snarling, blood-hungry demons. Everything was grey: the sky, the earth, the enemies and their floating ships. Leo was standing back to back with his brothers, trying desperately to think of a way out, but all that was in his head was, "_I can't do this I can't do this I can't do this…_" Rain poured down from the heavens, soaking the uncountable foes and Leo and his brothers. They were, as far as he knew, the only ones to survive the destruction of NYC. America, it seemed, was finally falling. The military had been completely wiped from the face of the planet. Washington DC was the first city to go. Its citizens lay murdered on the streets, and the people of New York followed fast behind. Among the slaughtered were April and Casey, and the brothers' own beloved master, Splinter. Liquid ran in rivulets down Leo's face, and he wasn't sure if it was rain, tears or blood. Blood. He'd seen so much of it that day. Who knew that one person could hold so much. Blood. His brothers were covered with it. Blood. Death. Murder. Fear. The city was rank with it. Leo remembered Splinter, lying on a sidewalk, bleeding his life away on a sidewalk, telling them to flee the city. "You must…leave." Gasping and coughing blood, he'd dragged himself to his feet. "Go. Get out of the city. Run away, don't hold your ground." He'd then slumped again to the dirty, bloody concrete, leaving a red stain on the graffiti-covered brick wall. Leo had been unable to tear his eyes away from the gaping red hole in his beloved master's chest, and the blood pumping out of it had slowed. No. Leo couldn't afford to think of that now. His brothers needed him. Splinter was gone. They'd left him then, and run out of the massive city, only to find barren, grey mud as far as the eye could see, and demons enough to cover it completely. With even more enemies rushing them from the city, it was all they could do to make a final stand.

The demon warlord smiled grimly with one mouth while the other licked its horrible lips, exposing long teeth filed to razor points. _"City by city; nation by nation, planet by planet; galaxy by galaxy, the world will fall. And we will be there to take it all when it does. Nothing and no one can stand in my way." _it growled harshly. This would be normal speech to any demon of its type, but to a human it was a combination of clicks, choking and screeches. Rather like something off _Star Wars_, except far more dangerous and far more ugly. Just then, the warlord's second-in-command approached it and bowed low. _"My lord."_ It then waited for its commander to answer it. The demon superior waited a satisfying length and then turned. _"Have we taken the city?"_ it grated. The second-in-command nodded, grateful that it was true. If had not been, the warlord's wrath would've been terrible to behold, and all of it taken out on its inferior. _"Great lord, all is as you predicted," _it said pleasantly, though there was nothing pleasant about its language. _"But for one thing. Four survivors are putting up a fight. They stand on a hill of bodies and they are there now. I thought to consult you before putting them out of their misery." _Upon hearing this, the demon warlord began to pace agitatedly. _"Did I not give the order to destroy _all_ humans? Why then have you defied me?!"_ it roared angrily. The second-in-command cowered in the face of its master's wrath. _"Because, my lord, they are not…human." _It held up a device on which was an image of the four survivors. The warlord would have raised an eyebrow if it had one, but it was nevertheless impressed. _"Bring them before me. Alive and relatively unharmed."_

Raphael bared his teeth in a feral grin and swiped his _sais _at a demon who stepped to close, catching it neatly under the chin. He was not thinking clearly; his mind was clouded by grief, fury and hopelessness. Splinter was dead; April and Casey were dead; he and his brothers were not far behind. Death had never been something Raph had considered before. He'd always felt invincible, untouchable. Yet now fate loomed up in his face, and there was no choice but to meet it head on or die a coward. Glancing around at his brothers, he knew that despair was taking over their minds too. Mikey was no longer standing, nun-chucks poised to kick butt, but he was kneeling in the mud, the blood, the sweat and the tears, a glazed expression fixed on his young face. Mikey should never have been allowed to see all the horrors they'd experienced that day. And Donnie, always the one to make peace, on his last legs, bo staff drooping, covered in blood, one eye shut and encrusted with blood. He'd always said that he was scared of nothing, always been the one to think them out of bad situations. Even he couldn't see a way out. Not today. Today, it seemed, if somewhat ironically, the bad guys win and the good guys lose. And Splinter wasn't going to help them. All Raphael could see was Splinter's battered and bruised body as he gasped the names of his long-dead wife and child, Tang-Shen and Niwa. All he could hear was Splinter's cries for him and his brothers to run, to never stand, but to hide. All he could feel was the unbearable loss and the knowledge that Splinter was dead. And he was never coming back. Something snapped inside Raphael then, something irreplaceable. His body no longer belonged to him, his mind was not his own and his heart was too broken and crushed beyond hope to be anyone's. He heard a loud, keening wail so full of pain and despair that he wanted to cover his ears, before he realized the voice was his own. His legs threw him at the demons and his arms stabbed left, right and centre. He was surrounded by shrieks and howls of pain as nearby demons felt the brunt of his fury. He faintly heard someone shout for him to come back, but he was not going to die waiting for the enemy to make the first move. Not today. Today, it seemed, he would die, but he would take as many of the foul demon horde with him as he could kill. Raphael had always been the one to throw the first punch, and he wasn't about to let a few thousand ugly faces change that. As he whirled unstoppably through the shrieking army, he spotted a much larger demon in bright colours making its way through the crowd toward his brothers. With a yell of rage he sliced his way toward it, to kill it before it got close to his brothers. It turned and noticed him before he was close enough to cut its loathsome head from its shoulders. It shouted at the nearby demons in its harsh language and instantly they grabbed at his arms. He yelled his loss to the sky and sent at least a dozen and a half back into the abyss before they finally pinned him down. A chain wrapped around his neck, cutting of his air supply. Choking and gasping, he cursed the demons as the dark closed in. And, right before it took over completely, he was heard to whisper, as the fight left him, _"I'm sorry, Master Splinter. I failed you."_

Leo watched helplessly as his brother's unstable temerity turned into violent, revenging madness. He knew why Splinter had chosen him to be leader rather than any of his younger brothers. Because someone had to be able to carry burdens far beyond his own, and yet keep them entirely to himself. He knew that they had no idea of what he had to bear, and it was best kept that way. Leo felt Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael unknowingly pour their pain onto him, yet he kept his face hard and unrelenting, because he knew if he betrayed the slightest bit of what he truly felt, his brothers would go to pieces. Something in Leo broke when Raph snapped, and he wanted to leap to his rash brother's aid. But if he had, that would've meant leaving Donnie and Mikey defenceless. Leo's resolve nearly gave way when he saw the demon second-in-command making its way toward him, but just then, Donnie gave in and slumped to the ground, where he lay unmoving. Leo stepped protectively in front of his fallen brothers, gritted his teeth, summoned all remaining strength and raised his swords.

The second-in-command watched the young warrior curiously as he stepped between it and his brothers. He wouldn't go down without a fight, but the warlord's instructions had been clear. The survivors were to be brought to the ship alive and conscious, although only one of them had retained both of those states of being. And he was on the verge of collapse. The second-in-command knew a little of each human language- enough to tell the young warrior that he was being taken to the warlord. "You are to come before my lord. No questions. Follow me." it muttered and choked darkly. The second-in-command turned on its heel and strode back through the masses.

Leo stared vaguely after the retreating figure of the second-in-command. It occurred to him that he and his brothers were being taken captive. He stood there for a moment, uncomprehending, the ends of his swords trailing weakly in the mud and the rain, the sweat and the blood poured down his exhausted face. Tears began to trickle down his cheeks to join the mud on the wasted ground. Leo fell to his knees and he realized that, for now, he didn't have to fight, his brothers were safe, and he could stop. _No, _he thought, _I can't stop. I won't stop. A hero doesn't stop, he keeps going until he wins, and I haven't won. Yet. I will save my brothers, defeat this nemesis and avenge Master Splinter._ Leo's eyes narrowed and his head came up. He knew what he would do, and he hoped that it would work. He tenderly scooped up Mikey and draped Donnie over his broad shoulders. Then, step by strengthening step, he followed the warlord's second-in-command.


	2. Chapter 2: Escape From the Mothership

Leo stood bravely in front of the demon warlord. He'd learned that its name, translated into English, meant Light-Bane. It was also called, as a sign of fearful respect, Lord Darkness, or Prince Death, although, in the demons' guttural tongue, it sounded as horrific as the names implied. And the owner of the names left no doubt that they were earned. The other three turtles stood beside Leo, although he wasn't entirely sure that they were all there. Mikey's eyes were clouded; one could almost see the memories he saw. Raph stared at the ground, fists clenching and unclenching, teeth grinding until Leo was sure they would be effectively reduced to stumps. Donnie was kneeling, unable to stand by himself due to the huge gash on his thigh. It may have already coagulated and sealed, but it still caused him a great deal of pain. He stared at nothingness, as though his brilliant mind could not handle what had happened in the last few hours. Hours? It felt like days. But Leo knew the sun hadn't even set on the bodies of the slain lying mutilated in the streets of New York City. There was no Superman to save them, no Spiderman to sweep them out of harm's way. No Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to leap in at the last moment and defeat the enemy. No one could save them, but there were still humans alive on Planet Earth, and no small number of them. If only Leo could reach them, tell them before they found out the painful way, which would result in the extinction of mankind.

Light-Bane glowered down its nose at the young warriors before it. He didn't like the look of them. Although they were battered and bruised, both physically and mentally, their broken spirits shone with an unquenchable light. It hurt it to look directly at the light, and yet it seemed to fill its vision. They could defeat Light-Bane, and were therefore very dangerous. It had seen the damage they had done to his army; four of them against millions. The demon warlord gnawed on its lip. Something was preventing it from giving the order to eliminate them. Whenever it went to open its mouth to say, _"Kill them."_, it couldn't separate its lips. This was alarming, so it decided to pick one of its better options. It would leave them in the middle of nowhere, to starve and die. Until then, they would be kept with the other captive, which would share their fate.

Raph glared daggers at the massive demon that appeared to be in charge. If he had his sais, the ugly creature would be dead and sliced up into fine slivers of rotten flesh. As it was, Raph would have to content himself with imagined revenge until opportunity presented itself. When the demon freak said something to the one who'd led them there, the second-in-command turned to them and translated: "You are to be left in the middle of nowhere to die. Until that time, you will be kept in a cell with the other prisoner who will be left in the nowhere with you." It stuttered and stumbled over the difficult words, but the message got across. Leo's mouth dropped open and he gaped like a drowning fish. _Left!? In the middle of NOWHERE?! _It hadn't occurred to him that it was possible. Mikey and Donnie seemed to have not heard, but Raph's head shot up as the reality hit him. His eyes widened for a split second before they narrowed dangerously. He yelled in rage and actually flew at the warlord. The demon's face was the picture of fear and shock as Raphael collided with it, pummelling it and trying with all his might to literally smash the living daylights out of it. Its bodyguards leapt to its aid, dragging Raph off the warlord. He struggled in their grasp, but it was like their hands were made of iron. His wounds had reopened during the attack and bled profusely, draining his energy. He soon gave up struggling and stared tiredly at the ground, breathing hard. The warlord, having regained its dignity, brushed itself off and glared angrily at the hot-headed young mutant. It spoke something in rapid demon language to the two bodyguards holding him, and they moved out the door, dragging Raph along with them. Leo rushed after them, but he was blocked by three more guards. Although he was highly trained, protective and extremely worried, he couldn't get past. They bound his wrists behind him and forced him onto his knees beside his other brothers. Just down the hall, he could hear a door open and shut. There came the sound of the demons speaking to one another, and then momentary silence. Suddenly, there came an agonized scream of shock and pain. Leo heard Raph's voice yell his name before it dissolved again in another shriek of agony. Leonardo struggled with every ounce of strength he possessed, which was no small amount, but the chains would not give. He glared up at the warlord through a haze of tears. "What are you _doing to my brother!?_" he nearly shrieked, feeling utterly helpless with the need to get free and help Raph. The second-in-command answered, "Your brother is being punished for attacking my lord the prince. It is not a thing to be forgotten. He will live. But he will not forget." it choked out with something akin to a smirk on what could be taken for its face. Leo wanted nothing more in the whole world than to save the world. His second biggest desire was to utterly annihilate in the most painful way imaginable to destroy the warlord and his second-in-command. He heard Raph cry out again. Fury overwhelmed Leo at the sound and he discovered a strength he didn't know he had. The chain links tore apart in the face of Leo's rage. However, he didn't attack the demons, but rather set about sabotaging their ship. He ripped at wires and was rewarded when the lights went out. He inflicted killing blows on anything that came too near and ripped the door off its hinges. Running towards where the sound of Raph's screaming had come from, he destroyed anything electronic looking on the way. He punched right through the door and slaughtered the two guards. He broke the chains holding the barely conscious Raphael to the table and helped him out of the room. He met Mikey there. Donnie had one arm over his shoulder and looked terrible, but his eyes were bright. "Come on, I know the way out!" he called over the sound of panicking demons and he and Mikey ran off. Leo heaved Raph over his shoulder and began to follow, but he remembered something the second-in-command had said. There was another prisoner on board the ship. "Donnie! We have to save the other captive!" Raph, who'd come round somewhat, banged weakly on Leo's shell. "Put. Me. Down." he demanded indignantly. Leo obliged him carefully. Once on his feet, he faced Leo and said, "We're going with you." Leo was instantly against it. "No! You are hurt, Donnie's hurt, and you need to get off the ship. I will find the prisoner. GO!" he nearly yelled. Something told him the ship was going down; after all, he had practically destroyed the ship's control panel. Leo shoved his brother after Donatello and set about finding the cell where the other prisoner was being kept.

No door could stand before Leo's might. He was frequently disappointed by lightless ,empty rooms. He was leaving one dark such room when something caught his eye in the shadows. His head whipped around and he saw what he was looking for: a prisoner, chained and miserable. Eyes glinting with fear peering nervously up at him as he snapped the chains like straws and hoisted the person over his shoulder. Now, to find a way out. By then, there were a dozen alarms going off and fewer demons to be seen. Leo finally discovered a small trapdoor, which, when opened, revealed a parachute-type-thing and a second trapdoor. Leo fastened the straps around his waist and, wrapping one arm around his passenger, opened the door and leapt. The chute opened instantly and he was momentarily blinded by the sudden light. As his eyes adjusted, Leo observed that the prisoner was a young girl of about fifteen, with dark blond hair and strange eyes. She clung to him tightly and never uttered a sound, closing her odd, bright eyes in terror. As they floated gradually down, there was a sudden, deafening explosion as the ship gave up the fight and blew itself to pieces. Leo felt the massive shockwave and nearly lost his grip on the girl. Looking down nervously, Leo saw the ground rushing up towards him a little faster than he thought it should be. He glanced worriedly at the chute, and observed with immeasurable terror a gaping hole in the top. As he watched helplessly, the tear spread and ripped the chute in half. He felt momentarily weightless for a split nanosecond before plummeting at killing speed toward the ground. He hit the wasted earth hard. Leo felt an explosion of pain as the back of his head bashed against a rock he couldn't see, and he went limp, unable to feel, unable to think, unable to move.

Donnie watched Leo run off to find the prisoner alone. He cursed his leg injury as he directed Mikey down various corridors to find the exit. He didn't know how he knew where to go; it was just like someone was whispering directions in his ear. Raph was close behind them, more silent than usual, pensive and depressed as he limped after Donnie and Mikey. Donnie was getting worried; there were less and less demons to be seen every moment. They were evacuating the ship, and Donatello needed to find the exit before the last hovercraft left it. They rounded a blind corner and lo and behold: there were two demons boarding the last craft. Before Donnie could attack, Raphael flew over his head and flattened the two uglies. He tossed them over the side and watched emotionlessly as they became demon pancakes, squashed first by him, then by gravity. Mikey helped Donnie over to the control panel. It was a simple encryption and the more intelligent brother of the four turtles soon had it up and running. It didn't take him long to figure out the controls and soon they'd left the ship. They flew out a way and turned back to watch the ship for signs of Leo. But, against all their hopes, the ship was going up in dark purple flames and, even as they watched, it finally gave in and exploded. Raph uttered a wordless cry and fell to his knees, everything inside him tearing up into tiny little obliterated pieces. Donnie could only stand in shock, speechless, silent, unable to even move. Mikey collapsed to the ground, and there he stayed, refusing to move, refusing to believe, refusing to think, wanting to hope. But they all knew that no one could have survived the blast. It was as if someone turned the world time switch onto half speed as they watched the burning remains of the demon ship fall to the ground and crash, reduced to rubble, ruins and regret. The brothers were shattered, but Donnie knew he had to get Raph and Mikey out of there. Before the demons came after them. He forced himself to turn off his emotions and focus. Looking around, he realized that the ship had been moving ever since they had been captured and New York was no longer in sight. All he could see in every direction was wasted; wasted ground, dead grass, blackened trees, animal skeletons. He guessed by the number of these that they were over a former national reserve park. There was only one other demon ship to be seen, further off to the left, nearly hidden by foul green-gray mist. It had turned and was heading their way. Donnie swiftly guided the hovercraft to the ground where the dead trees were thick and hid it there. He limped over to Raph and, when he wouldn't move on his own, grabbed his arm and physically dragged him off the craft and shoved him behind a withered bush. Donnie then seized Mikey and pushed him down beside Raph before hobbling back to the hovercraft. Though he loathed to leave them without transportation, he turned on its homing device which would send it back to the ruined ship. It lifted into the air and he only just made it off before the craft sped away in the direction of the exploded ship. Donatello watched it for a moment, and felt again the pain and loss he'd felt as the ship blew up, taking with it his brother. He then turned, braced himself and walked slowly, painfully, back to his brothers.


	3. Chapter 3: Echo

Echo groaned and rolled to the right. The fall had been hard, and she thought she might've broken a rib. She stared off to the right and saw the big ship, burning and absolutely destroyed. Then she remembered her rescuer and quickly sat up, wincing as burning hot pain seared her side. She crawled over to him and peered anxiously at his face. He looked real beaten up, was covered with blood and was hardly breathing. Echo felt warmth rise up in her at the thought that he'd risked his life to save her, and the warmth died as she realized he now lay fatally injured, possibly dying for it. She'd watched through the tiny window in her cell as the demon horde took over NYC, and seen the turtles' last stand. She'd seen this one be the last one standing, and now he too was in danger. Echo removed her sweater and tore it up to make bandages, and then bound the worst of his wounds to staunch the bleeding. She lifted his head and placed it in her lap, suddenly afraid that he might die, and then she would be alone again, like she had been for so many months. She shivered, remembering the only company she'd had was when the demons came to take her away for various experiments. They'd put needles in her, made her mind do weird things. Her eyes had always been the colour they were now, but, as a side effect of the experiments, they changed colour according to her mood. When she was calm, they reverted to their original blue with splashes of yellow surrounding the pupil. And her hair could change as well, but not according to mood; it just changed when she ate. The food the demons had fed her was a weird colour, like dirty gold, so her hair went dark blond. But if she didn't eat for a day, it went gold. The demons had also made her immune to all the poisons they knew. They would slip a little bit into her food and she would go through terrible, painful nights because of it. But it worked. Soon the demons lost interest in her, and she knew the demon warlord had been planning to do away with her; she just didn't know why he hadn't yet. Echo had retained one secret, however, and it was not one she would let out easily: she could read minds. Not psychic, but telepathic; she could talk to people mentally. As she thought about it, she looking down at the mutant and thought to herself, _We are alike, you and I. Rejected by others because of how we are, we have lost the ones we loved, and the demons wanted to kill us. But they couldn't. Why, I wonder?_ Then, talking to the young warrior, she said mentally, _Please, don't leave me alone. You rescued me from that cell, so don't leave me to die alone here instead of there. I need you. We have so much in common, including the will to live. So don't give up now. The world needs our help._ Getting no response, Echo searched into his memories and found tragedy upon tragedy, but before that, she uncovered the burden he carried; responsibility, it weighed heavy on his heart. He'd had to make every decision, and it had cost him dearly. He now wanted nothing more than to let go and drift away. Then Echo found something he had forgotten; loving and being loved. Brothers. A father. Friends. Love. Echo looked into his dying face and saw a troubled heart. Pity filled her and she tried one more time, _Do not forget there is still love in this world. The love that binds you to this world, that won't let you leave it yet. Your father loved you, and he would never let you give up. So don't. Don't give up. _


	4. Chapter 4: Finding Turtles

Leo stood on a cliff top, peering over the side. At the bottom was a soft yellow light. It was calling his name, whispering it to him. _"Leo…Leo…"_ it called softly. He wanted to jump, to go to it, but someone was holding his arm. He looked to see who it was, and he saw a person dressed in white. For some reason, he couldn't see its face, but he knew it was stern and determined he should not jump. "Leonardo." it said. "You cannot go there yet." it said to him. Leo looked confused. "Why? There is nowhere else to go." he asked it. The person moved aside and pointed to a rock. It just looked like a rock at first, but then Leo saw pictures appear on it. He saw a girl, holding something in her lap. He looked closer and realized it was his head. His eyes were closed, and he looked terrible. He couldn't see the girl's face, nor could he remember anything about that ever happening, but he knew he was in it and he didn't know why. Suddenly, he heard a voice, soft, husky and sweet, saying, "Hamato Leonardo, you must wake up. Come back, you're not finished yet. Leonardo, the world needs you. Come back. Wake up, Leonardo." Something began to pull on him, but the light person had disappeared. An unseen force tugged him toward the rock, literally dragging him physically into the image. He wanted to stay, and as he yelled and grabbed at plants and other rocks, memories washed over him. He saw flashing pictures of others like him. A word entered his mind: brothers. He saw them before he left them to find the prisoner: worried, desperate, scared. He'd thought then they were scared about the ship going down, and not getting out in time. But he knew now that they were actually scared for him, and he saw through their eyes his face: battered, scarred, bloodied, fierce, determined, sacrificial. The voice kept calling, and it didn't sound alluring, it sounded scared, it sounded desperate. An image flew into his mind, an image of the girl on the rock, tears coursing down her dusty cheeks to mingle with the rain still pouring from the polluted clouds. He remembered who she was and he felt a strange connection to her. Leo closed his eyes, let go of the bush he'd grabbed, and was swept into the picture.

Echo watched Leo's face for some sign of life, but he was slipping further away with every second. With one last desperate effort, she mentally called his full name and sent him an image of his childhood; his brothers and father. He stopped breathing and she thought for a moment that he was gone. Tears slipped out of the corners of her deep blue eyes and her shoulders slumped. Suddenly, Echo felt Leo's chest fill with air as he took a quick, deep breath. His eyes flew open and his face shone with an eerie light as he took in her face, the rain and the scorched carcass of the destroyed ship behind them. He closed his eyes again and sat slowly up. Echo sat back and watched him. He studied the mud for a moment as if there was some interesting factor hidden there, and then turned to face her. "You're telepathic." he said matter-of-factly. She raised an eyebrow, her friendly sarcasm kicking in. "You noticed." she commented sarcastically. He smiled, and she liked his smile. It was friendly and open. "Where are your brothers?" she asked. Leo's eyes widened and he cast a glance at the wide open space where they were situated. His gaze rested tragically on the ship. And his eyes closed. Echo felt his sense of despair wash over her like a tsunami. She sent him an emotion; courage. "They might've made it off." she offered hopefully. He looked at her and squared his shoulders. "You're right," he decided, and stood up. "Donnie would've gotten them out. He knew where to go." Just then, a much smaller hovercraft shot like a ballistic missile over their heads. "Look out!" Leo yelled and jumped for Echo. He landed on top of her and covered her so she didn't get hit. He winced as the bottom of the hovercraft grazed his shell. It sped off toward the wreckage of the demon ship. "You can get off me now." came a muffled voice from beneath him. Leo gingerly picked himself off her. "Oh, sorry." he said awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks." she said, brushing herself off. Then, looking disgustedly at the grey sky, "This rain is seriously getting on my nerves." Abruptly, the rain stopped. Leonardo looked at her disbelievingly. "If I hadn't just seen that, I would never have believed it." He sounded pretty sure of himself. Echo placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, wouldn't you?" It felt good to be out of that cell, out of that ship. It felt good to be free. She shot a happy grin at Leo. He blinked, and returned it with a cheesy smile. Then his face creased thoughtfully. "Hey, you're telepathic," he said again. She pursed her lips. "So you said earlier," she replied. He looked really excited. "Can you find my brothers, see if they're okay? Like, send your mind out to look for them?" He paused, and then added pleadingly, "Please?" Echo sighed mentally, but she wouldn't complain; it wouldn't make Leo feel any better. And she couldn't deny the look of hope in his eyes. She conceded with a silent nod, closed her pale green eyes and began to focus. She concentrated on a picture of their faces that she'd retrieved from Leo's memory and swept the area for them. Strangely enough, she could sense them, but she couldn't tell where they were. She opened her now reddish eyes and looked straight at Leo. "They're in the vicinity, a radius of several kilometres. Your brother Donatello is numb and focussed, he thinks you're dead and has taken over as leader. He's trying to concentrate on keeping the others safe and not think about you. Michelangelo is in shock, and a typical state of denial. He keeps telling himself that you made it out, but doubt is setting in more with every passing hour." She stared up at Leo, still sitting in the mud. He looked depressed. "What about Raph? Is he…?" Leo halted mid-sentence, afraid to say it. Echo shook her head. "Raphael is in a very dark place. He is, in a word, shattered. Oddly, he isn't in shock or denial, but rather he's withdrawn to a place deep inside himself to deal with the loss. He's unaware of his surroundings, only aware of losing you." Leo looked broken at hearing of his brothers' state. He clenched his fists. "We have to find them. Fast." Echo concentrated again on the other turtles and this time, she got a heading. She opened her eyes and pointed at a far off cluster of blackened trees. "There. They're hiding in that grove." She stood up. Leo began to race off in the direction of the trees. "Come on!" he called. "We have to get to them quick!" Echo looked back at the wrecked ship one last time, and then sprinted after the ninja.


End file.
